'Mr Su-Lin' WWF 2007

First runner up in the August challenge: Dark Safari on EliteArtists.
Entered in the "Dark Safari" competition on
Please ALWAYS feel free to make comment on any of my submissions...If a negative remark/criticize, I kindly ask you to do so under my personal "note" section directly to me. Thank you for all that even take the time to peruse my gallery ! "Vive la vie boheme"

100% artist profit to WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

The frightful story of the first named "Giant Panda" in North America.

"In the summer of 1934, a young American by the name of William Harvest Harkness Jr. was preparing to provide New York’s Bronx Zoo with a living giant panda. His expedition reached Shanghai in January of 1935 but remained unsuccessful and became disastrous in February of 1936 when Harkness died of an unknown illness. His widow Ruth Harkness, a New York fashion designer, vowed to complete his task of bringing home a live panda. Her trip was documented in her book "The Lady and the Panda", published in 1938. Among her companions on her trip to China was Quentin Young, the younger brother of Jack Young. Upon reaching Shanghai, Ruth Harkness contacted a man she called “Zoology Jones” for advice, who is now suspected to have been Tangier Smith. He proved to be none too encouraging of her dream. It is believed that “Zoology Jones” immediately followed Ruth Harkness with an expedition of his own in order to beat her to it. Her dream was realized when on 9 November 1936, as she wrote in her diary, Quentin Young caught sight of a baby giant panda from inside an old dead tree, no doubt the den of the cub’s mother, and handed it over to her. The panda was named Su-Lin, after Jack Young’s wife, since it was believed to be female. The name means "a little bit of something very cute." However, the cub was found to be male post-mortem. Su-Lin was eventually taken to Chicago after Ruth Harkness became exasperated with the attitude of zoo officials at the Bronx Zoo. However, on 1 April 1938, Su-Lin apparently choked to death on a piece of wood after a short period in which he transformed the American public’s view of the giant panda as being a hunter’s trophy to a lovable, cuddly animal -- a kind of super teddy bear. There is some controversy surrounding the capture of Su-Lin. It was too easy and the cub is suspected by some to have been planted in the tree before being abducted. As well, it is thought that “Zoology Jones” may have also acquired a panda but was not able to bring it back to American soil alive." Ami's Panda Patch ...Famous Panda's [link]
Artist note:
MANY died prior to arrival here; most died around three years after arrival. The longest living to date in captivity was 20yrs the famous "Ling-Ling". Only one Giant Panda born here lived past the 100 days to get named. (1999) All Giant Panda's in the U.S. belong to China. Large multi-million dollar contributions for preservation allow the U.S. to lease the Giant Panda's for viewing. Any cubs born here are required by contract to return to China at age three; approximately 170 live outside of China. New laws have made the harm of the Giant Panda punishable up to the "immediate execution" of the offender. (1987)